Monday, September 26, 2016

I got the family iPad when I left. My mother paid for half, we paid for the other. I took a dive financially for it, but whatever, I needed it for business and communication. Problem is it's in my ex's name and iTunes account. Although I can get into my iTunes for music, I can't update a damn thing without his password. Every time an update would pop up I'd see his Apple id and I'd feel nauseous and/or anxious.

So today I am transferring my favourite photos, videos and documents to a new computer, then wiping this one clean and staring fresh on my iTunes account. This is pretty much the last tie between us, and I would have done it earlier but my little computer is dying and couldn't take the load. Thankfully, my mother and father gave me a gently used lap top with plenty of memory space.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Pain and discomfort after a break-up is usually due to the feeling that you can't have what you want. It's selfish and all encompassing, but with time and space it wanes. Soon you are less melodramatic and your friends aren't rolling their eyes at your Facebook posts anymore. Then you run into the ex and that little bit of sadness creeps back in. Perhaps you spend the afternoon imagining that s/he pulls you off to the side, pins you against the wall with their body and explains between passionate kisses how they've realized how perfect you are together... Ahem... or something like that.

You know you are torturing yourself. You wish you could just get over it. You wish you didn't still want them.

Here's the deal though, if you truly love someone, it shouldn't be about what you want from them. Wanting them to love you/want to be with you, is essentially asking for them not to feel the way they feel, so that you can feel good. That's not love. If you truly want them to follow their heart, do what they think is best for themselves, then it is impossible to want them to be with you at the same time.

Want to know the best way to get over someone? Love them. Fully, unconditionally, love them. Wish the best for them and the rest of their journey wether or not you will be a part of it.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Something shifts when you feel the need to protect yourself emotionally all the time. Your self-worth disintegrates and it takes a while to get it back. You have to fight the voices in your head telling you that you are selfish and even delusional for believing you deserve better. Like you are not being grateful for what you do have by wanting something different. Most of the time those voices are not your own...

So you do it. Every morning you get up and you tell yourself that you are worthy of wearing your favourite clothes. You deserve to enjoy your breakfast, you remind yourself just as you were about to stuff something in your mouth in order to be there for someone else. Next thing you know, you are taking the time to fix your coffee just right and buying jeans that fit. You are letting go of conflicts and letting go of the people who always seem to be in the middle of them. You are beginning to do more than just dream of the things that bring you joy; you are doing them. You surround yourself with people who make you feel good.

Then you look around one day and ask yourself, do I make the people around me feel good too?

Because for so long you focused on just you, that you forgot how to think of others. Maybe you thought that it would come naturally. Maybe you thought that if you were happy you'd simply bring others joy... And you do. But are you kind? Are you considerate? Can you now turn back on that part of yourself who thought about other's feelings before you said or did something?

Because to leave, you had to turn that off didn't you? You had to put yourself first, you had to ignore the pleas, the explanations, the tears of those you knew would only bring you harm.

You also know that this loving part of you is what got you so stuck to begin with. You feel like your empathy betrayed you, your compassion made you a target. You blame your naivety for this last traumatic disaster.

Maybe it's time. Maybe it's okay to look back into another person's heart, to care about how they would feel about your actions. It's okay that you turned cold to get out of a hot mess. It's okay that you built this wall of ice. Now try to remember: you chose these people carefully, let them in and care about them.

Trust yourself.

Trust your heart.

The last step in complete worthiness is knowing you are worthy of the joy of giving without fear.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

One of the heaviest things I have carried about my unhealthy relationship was how it affected my kids. The common belief is that you and your partner teach your children how to treat their partners or what to expect as treatment from their partners. Well on the first day of school, my 10 year old girl was asked "out". She came home and told me this boy wanted to be her boyfriend. I took a deep cleansing breath and asked:
"What did you say?"
"I said I'd think about it tonight and tell him tomorrow."
That was promising.
"Do you like him?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's kind and compassionate. He showed me around, introduced me to his friends and played with me at recess."
I liked her criteria for liking him.
"Well, what do you think you are going to say?"
"I think I'll say 'yes'. "And so it begins, I thought.

I walked into the kitchen tonight and she was writing a letter. It was a break up letter. I asked her why she wanted to break up with him. She described a scenario where she felt her personal boundaries were violated. She said:
"I didn't feel like he respected me."
"Do you want to talk to him about it, and see if it gets better?" I asked.
"No. I want to break up with him. I don't want to hurt his feelings because I know he really likes me... but..." She looked lost for words.
"...But your boundaries are important and you need to do what you know is right for you." I answered.
She nodded emphatically.
I told her I was proud of her and managed to hold back the tears of relief until I got into my room.

Tonight I was going to click "publish" on my first sex blog and toast myself with a glass of wine.
Instead, I shall raise a glass to myself as a mother and woman. She did learn how a relationship should be, the relationship with herself. She learned that her boundaries are to be respected and how to uphold them even when it's tough and the amazing thing is...

Sunday, September 4, 2016

The other day I had a friend over and I mentioned something that I thought was common knowledge about myself. He looked at me point blank and said. "I don't know anything about you."
So here's a brief history:

Born and raised just outside of Toronto, in a relatively small town. I have two older sisters and my parents were together until I was in my 20's. Incredibly independent, head strong and intelligent, I was that kid who got in shit all the time for finishing her work early then talking to everyone while they were suppose to be working.
My parents were in scouting so I was often an unofficial boy scout.
I Irish danced.
I rode horses, including my own, Cowboy.
Kissed a boy for the first time, last day of grade 6.
Jumped out a second story window suffered from amnesia, last week of Summer grade7.
Ended up in an abusive relationship in highschool, got out of it.
Dated the captain of the senior boys basketball team. His mother died. I became Buddhist as a result.
Parents moved away when I was 17.
Promptly got hit by a GMC van.
Suffered another concussion.
Got my first on the books job at a European Deli.
Lived in various friends' homes, got an apartment of my own at 17.
Moved back in with parents to finish semester.
Started an alternative 'zine for my high school
Began apprentiship piercing. Quit.
Had a meth addiction.
Kicked a meth addiction.
Kissed a girl for the first time: St.Patrick's day grade 12.
Moved back out at 18 to become full time bong shop worker and part-time writer.
(By moved out I mean couch-surfed)
Got my very own non-basement apartment at 18.
Met a woman, fell in love. She broke my heart.
Acquired stalker: a convicted rapist.
Transferred to St.Catharine's bong shop to escape him.
Met boy, fell in love, he broke my heart.
Met another boy, married him.
Got two other jobs, pizza dough maker and organic sprout farmer.
Moved to Huntsville.
Had two kids.
Became a doula, then childbirth educator.
Big blur for a couple of years.
Got a divorce, well a separation... Not sure if we are even legally married... That's a whole other blog.
Met another boy, fell in love.
Got sick, left boy, got better.
Now I work at a Toystore and write a couple of blogs.